Sunday, June 3, 2012

The Loaf Bakery & Bistro @ Pavilion KL

#1 The Loaf ; Mall Entrance

Have you experienced being at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur as early as 8am? Most of the shops are closed, but The Loaf is ready to serve you from 8 am onwards with an array of buns and pastries with the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee for a good start of the day!

Famed for its bread, people recognize The Loaf as a Japanese concept bakery founded by our former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

The bakery corner at Level 3 smells so good when I walk past the storefront. It offers all kinds of bread, pastries and cakes that care the needs of all walks of life.

Oyaki is a fermented dumpling made from fermented buckwheat dough wrapped around a stuffing of meat, paste or vegetables and then roasted on an iron pan. Believe it or not, I tried ALL the 12 flavours, from the savory chicken to the sweet chocolate indulgence!

From the traditional red bean coconut oyaki to the creative green tea oyaki, I enjoy most of them with a light bite. I like how the green tea is fused into the bread giving it a distinct aroma.

#3 The Loaf Cranberry Cheese @ RM3.50

This soft butter rolls dough, when blended with premium dried cranberry and creamy Philadelphia cheese, it just makes me speechless. I fall in love with the melting cheese almost instantly upon the first bite!

#4 The Loaf ORIGINALS CHOCO Kiki™ @ RM3.60

With the Freshness Concept of 'à la minute' baking, I get to experience it straight from the oven. The croissants come in many flavours: Orange, Strawberry, Mocha, Peppermint and White Chocolate. The filling is so thick that I can pass it off as breakfast and not dessert.

#5 Mixed Nuts Croissant @ RM4.90

Being a pastry lover, how can I resist the caramelized nuts crowned on the flaky, tender croissant?

#6 Strawberry Petite & Chocolate Petite @ RM2.30 each

A simple strawberry croissant can be so heavenly! The crust is so thin, layer by later, but with the added strawberry, it becomes an excellent combo.

#7 The Loaf Cube -60°C @ RM11.00

Pastries go best with coffee. It consists of Espresso cubes frozen to -60°C in a special deep freezer and hot milk. As it slowly dissolves in the milk, I taste the richness in this unique brewed coffee!

#8 Campagne Fromage @ RM20.00

This hard bread stuns me with its price tag. I just wonder how can a huge rock like this can cost so much!

#9 Interior of Campagne Fromage

But with the price you pay, you will get something worth in return. The bread is stuffed generously with dried fruits and assorted nuts, which make the bread texture so good with crunchiness!

#10 Cereal @ RM6.80

Although I'm not a bread person, I'm truly amazed with this simple whole grain bun. The bread texture is so good that its fluffiness calls me for more!

#11 Interior of Cereal

#12 Sourdough Bread

This sourdough bread has been a history from the past centuries, but The Loaf bakers have spent more than 4 hours to ensure the perfection of this rustic bread.

#13 Marble Cookies @ from RM7.80 to RM8.80 each pack

From White Sesame, Cocoa, Coconut to Black Sesame, the cookies serve best as a snack for the family with just the right amount of sweetness!

#14 Butter Cupcakes

#15 Homemade Confiture Jams @ RM17.80 each

From left to right:

Nodoka Confiture (Grapefruit & Rosemary)

Motoko Confiture (Raspberry & Rose)

Sayuri Confiture (Pineapple& Lavender)

Hiroko Confiture (Orange & Lemon)

#16 Best-selling Jams

Made from imported and local premium ingredients, The Loaf will never go wrong with their homemade jams. Motoko and Nodoka are amongst the bestsellers, and I prefer the latter one which reveals the natural goodness from the grapefruit along with its tangy flavour.

The picture says it all.
This restaurant is made up of two sections, the bakery (Level 3) and the bistro (Level 4). Now that I'm at the The Loaf Bistro to indulge in their western fares of finest quality.

Many of you may not know: The Loaf actually specializes in serving afternoon teas, and a full range of à la carte lunch and dinner menus in a relaxed ambiance. The interior of the restaurant has a totally warm appearance with a sitting area for diners to chit-chat over a drink.

#17 Creamy Mushroom @ RM18.00

From the excellent presentation to the rich, deep flavours, everything is just delicious! I can taste the fresh button mushroom bits and chunks with hints of truffle. It is neither too creamy nor powdery, just perfect!

#18 Leek and Potato @ RM5.00

Yes it is served in this recyclable paper cup. Although it may not look appealing to the palate, but the chef's selection of daily market-fresh ingredients is capable to produce a distinctive broth of healthy vegetable soup!

#19 Prawn Avocado Salad @ RM20.00

A delightful blend of Banana Prawns and Avocado wedges sits on the fresh green leaves. The winner of this dish is the homemade sesame dressing which tantalizes your taste buds. Firm and creamy to your bite!

#20 Field Fresh Mushrooms @ RM16.00

Sautéed button, enoki, eringi, shiitake and honshimeji mushrooms are put as one in this salad bowl. Light Balsamic dressing is drizzled onto the salad along with the parmesan cheese to add more flavours.

#21 Croquette @ RM26.00

I love this Japanese specialty fried prawn roll finished with home-made tartar sauce, served with crispy cabbage salad and zesty Japanese dressing. The croquette is crispy on the outside with juicy huge prawns on the inside.

#22 Beef Meatloaf Steak @ RM29.00

#23 Chicken Meatloaf Steak @ RM29.00

The minced chicken in a meatloaf is chewy with an excellent texture. The meat soaks up the black pepper sauce, so it gets the flavours going. Along with a sunny-side up egg, vegetables and Japanese rice, it makes a combo of filling meal!

#24 Salmon Oelek @ RM44.00

Truthfully, I shall call this the star of the night! I have to admit that I am a fish fanatic, and this Indonesian-styled Chilli Oelek Seared Salmon Fillet delights me very much with its rich sweet and spicy flavour.The aromatic Cashew Nut Rice simply completes the platter. It is really one of a kind, the best salmon I ever have!

#25 Chilli Prawn @ RM26.00

Spice up your taste buds with a touch of local chilli in the prawns! The garlic bread should be served while crispy before it is exposed too much to the air.

#26 Mocktails & Freshly Squeezed Juice @ RM10.00 each

The Lemongrass Cooler is perfect to wash down the meal with its lime soda, lemongrass and lime cordial. Others are equally good with its distinctive flavours as thirst quenchers!

#27 Uhuhu Cheesecakes @ from RM3.20 to RM3.60 each

From left to right:

Top:Blueberry, Lemon, Oreo, Mango

Middle: Durian, Green Tea, Raspberry, Coffee

Bottom: Chocolate, Mixed Fruits, Original, Strawberry

Upon the satisfying dinner, the dessert will be The Loaf's Signature Uhuhu Cheesecake which comes in 12 unique flavours. The cheese in it is very soft and creamy, I'm now head over heels in love with its oozing texture instead of the usual melted ones.

Again, a dessert lover like me wouldn't miss any of these petite cupcakes! The best one I've sampled would be the lemon cheese, with zesty flavours lying in the cheesiness.

#28 Fre Alcohol-removed Wine @ RM23 per glass / RM78 per bottle

The menu also mentions some alcohol-removed wines,

delivering its value of quality hand-crafted drinks.

Credits to the two young talented chefs who bake everything in the house.

The Bistro at The Loaf earned an esteemed award as one of 2011 Malaysia's Best Restaurants, well-known for its fine quality offerings with famous faces dining there every day.

Verdict:1.Overall, it was certainly a satisfied meal for all. A cafe with constant stream of takeaway bread, pastry and coffee buyers. Highly recommended bakery in town.2.Recommended: Cranberry Cheese, for its creaminess, not melted cheese.

3.Cozy ambiance, good comfort food and excellent service! But that's certainly not something I can afford to eat every day.

I've visited The Loaf at Langkawi...I'm like you too how can a hard rock bun cost that rm$$$, maybe it's the quality of the bread flour....I heard they used Japan bread flour...imagine a lunch for 4 pax cost us around rm180. It's pricy but satisfying meal after all.

I am drooling over the salmon and chilly pasta. These are my kind of food compared to the rest. Having been to this place before, I quite like the desserts though I am not into sweet goodies. I normally buy for my nephews because they love the cakes.

Hi Caro, The Loaf is available in many places like Langkawi, Pavillion, Paradigm Mall, IOI Mall, Bangsar Village II, Empire Shopping Gallery, The Mines, Great Eastern Mall, and more to come! Hope you can visit them soon!